This invention relates to a field sprayer and particularly to an enclosure member which can effectively surround the nozzles of the field sprayer to improve the spraying action.
Field sprayers are an important item of agricultural equipment for spraying fertilizer and herbicide in liquid form onto the fields or onto a standing crop early in its development. Such sprayers generally comprise a central trailer portion supporting a tank of the fluid and a pair of booms which extend outwardly to each side of the central trailer with a total boom width of generally 60 to 100 feet. It is also known to mount the boom on a sprayer coupe which is self-propelled.
Generally, the boom comprises a framework in the form of a tubular frame which extends outwardly and is supported at one or two positions by ground wheels which control the height of the boom relative to the ground. On the framework is carried a supply pipe which supplies spaced nozzles along the length of the pipe for spraying a curtain of the fluid over the ground as the boom moves forwardly.
All sprayers of this type have generally been, until recently, open to the elements and particularly wind. Recent proposals have been made to provide a flexible cover which can wrap around the framework of the boom and thus enclose the spraying area to reduce the effect of the wind on the spraying action.
The main advantages of such covers have generally been thought to consist in the ability to spray in windy conditions. However, a market has developed for a retrofit arrangement of flexible covers which can be applied to existing sprayer booms of the above type.
Proposals have also been made for specialty type spraying devices of a relatively narrow width which include a cover which extends generally to the ground to fully enclose a spraying area.
However, the attempts to cover such spraying arrangements have been fairly rudimentary and have not been as successful in containing drift as might otherwise have been expected.